CRS 2026

March 12, 2026

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

In these days of escalating turmoil around the world, I invite you to “Reveal Christ’s Love” by supporting the national Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Collection on the weekend of March 22. Catholic Relief Services supports Catholic organizations that carry out international relief and resettlement for victims of persecution, war, and natural disasters; development projects to improve living conditions for the poor; legal and support services for poor immigrants; and peace and reconciliation work for people suffering from violence.

With last year’s cuts to USAID by the U.S. government, CRS lost access to hundreds of millions of dollars of grants which were directly serving people in the most dire situations around the world. In 2025 Bill O’Keefe, Vice President for Government Relations and Advocacy at CRS, said in remarks at a panel at Georgetown University that “my concern is needs are going up around the world. . . hunger, which for decades has been going down, in the last five years or so, has been going back up.” This is further compounded by continuing conflicts in the Middle East, Eastern Europe and East Africa which are displacing tens of millions of people who have nothing left. 

Originally founded in 1943 as War Relief Services for survivors and refugees of World War II and later renamed in 1955 as its international mission expanded, CRS has been providing expertise and compassion to the very poorest of our brothers and sisters in more than 100 countries. But CRS cannot do this lifesaving work without your help.

When asked last fall about national charities such as CRS, Pope Leo XIV said, quoting Pope Francis, that they “are living examples of the Church’s proclamation that ‘Christ’s preference is for the poor, the least, the abandoned and discarded.’”

I ask that you prayerfully consider how you can offer hope to those struggling to stay alive by supporting the Catholic Relief Services Collection this year. If you want to learn more about the collection and the people who are assisted, please visit www.usccb.org/catholic-relief. 

With every prayerful best wish, I remain

Sincerely yours in Christ,
  
Most Reverend Robert J. McManus
Bishop of Worcester

Please share this letter on the weekend of March 15 and take up the collection on the weekend of March 22 in your parish.